what you discovered looking at “A Shaft of Sunlight”?’ He nodded towards the canvas on the far wall. ‘Emma sees beneath the surface, too, but she hadn’t much to say about “Shaft”. You met her, of course?’
Katherine nodded.
‘Under difficult circumstances, I’m afraid,’ she suggested. ‘You know why I’m here?’
‘Because Charles felt you were helping Coralie.’
Her gaze was locked on his.
‘What about you?’ she asked. ‘You’re Sandy’s father.’ He nodded.
‘I don’t hold you responsible for what happened,’ he said slowly. ‘Coralie and I are to blame. I needed Sandy, though, but Coralie may have needed him more than we did. We had the legal right to keep him at Glassary.’
She looked at him askance.
‘You mean you had full custody?’ she asked incredulously.
‘Oh, yes. There was never any question about that. It was part of the legal settlement.’
‘And the reason why Charles was so determined to have him back, why he came to London in search of him.’
‘What else could we do?’ Fergus gripped the arms of his chair, his eyes remote. ‘I couldn’t go myself. You see that, of course.’
Katherine nodded.
‘Coralie—I thought that Charles was trying to kidnap him,’ she amended.
‘Why would he do that?’ Fergus asked. ‘Coralie had reasonable access to him, but she refused to part with him after the allotted time. It was my ex-wife who was doing the kidnapping, but I find that an ugly word to use. If I thought Sandy would fare better in her keeping I would let him go, but alas, I don’t. I believe he’ll lead a better life here at Glassary, where he belongs.’
It was also what Charles believed. The fact that Coralie had lied to her as well as tricking her into helping her shocked and angered her, but it was really what Charles thought that mattered. He still believed her capable of aiding and abetting his sister-in-law, and he was not so generous as Fergus seemed to be. He would never believe that she had been tricked, because she had seemed more than willing to help, and she had accused him mercilessly while she still believed him to be Sandy’s father. He would not be able to forget that, however she tried to explain it away.
‘I wish there was some easy solution,’ she said to the man beside her. ‘Some logical way out.’
‘I’ve wished the same thing many times,’ he confessed, ‘both before and after my accident. We all hope for a painless solution, don’t we? It’s part of our escape mechanism. “Dear Lord, don’t let it happen to me!” I think I’m over the worst of Coralie now, but I can’t be sure. Did you know her very well?’
‘I don’t think I really knew her at all,’ Katherine decided.
He seemed perplexed by her admission.
‘Yet you helped to get Sandy away from London. Perhaps you felt that you owed Coralie some kind of debt?’
‘I made a promise,’ she said, ‘on the strength of an old infatuation—a schoolgirl crush, if you like—and I’m still not sure what I should have done.’
‘You feel that you should keep your promises once they’re given?’
‘Something like that,’ she confessed. ‘I feel that Coralie ought to know where Sandy is.’
‘Have you been in touch with her since you left London?’ he asked.
‘No,’ said Katherine. ‘I phoned her flat several times and didn’t get a reply.’
‘Was she living alone?’ He seemed impelled to ask the question.
‘No. There were two other girls—photographic models, I think. One of them owned the flat and charged the others rent, but they were often away on assignments abroad, I gathered.’
‘Do you think that Coralie may have moved out?’ he asked. ‘She was a restless person and there could be another man.’
The thought hurt; she could see that, realising that he had not quite got over his first love. It was still Coralie as far as he was concerned, although he knew that their marriage was over.
‘I don’t think there is,’
Katherine nodded.
‘Under difficult circumstances, I’m afraid,’ she suggested. ‘You know why I’m here?’
‘Because Charles felt you were helping Coralie.’
Her gaze was locked on his.
‘What about you?’ she asked. ‘You’re Sandy’s father.’ He nodded.
‘I don’t hold you responsible for what happened,’ he said slowly. ‘Coralie and I are to blame. I needed Sandy, though, but Coralie may have needed him more than we did. We had the legal right to keep him at Glassary.’
She looked at him askance.
‘You mean you had full custody?’ she asked incredulously.
‘Oh, yes. There was never any question about that. It was part of the legal settlement.’
‘And the reason why Charles was so determined to have him back, why he came to London in search of him.’
‘What else could we do?’ Fergus gripped the arms of his chair, his eyes remote. ‘I couldn’t go myself. You see that, of course.’
Katherine nodded.
‘Coralie—I thought that Charles was trying to kidnap him,’ she amended.
‘Why would he do that?’ Fergus asked. ‘Coralie had reasonable access to him, but she refused to part with him after the allotted time. It was my ex-wife who was doing the kidnapping, but I find that an ugly word to use. If I thought Sandy would fare better in her keeping I would let him go, but alas, I don’t. I believe he’ll lead a better life here at Glassary, where he belongs.’
It was also what Charles believed. The fact that Coralie had lied to her as well as tricking her into helping her shocked and angered her, but it was really what Charles thought that mattered. He still believed her capable of aiding and abetting his sister-in-law, and he was not so generous as Fergus seemed to be. He would never believe that she had been tricked, because she had seemed more than willing to help, and she had accused him mercilessly while she still believed him to be Sandy’s father. He would not be able to forget that, however she tried to explain it away.
‘I wish there was some easy solution,’ she said to the man beside her. ‘Some logical way out.’
‘I’ve wished the same thing many times,’ he confessed, ‘both before and after my accident. We all hope for a painless solution, don’t we? It’s part of our escape mechanism. “Dear Lord, don’t let it happen to me!” I think I’m over the worst of Coralie now, but I can’t be sure. Did you know her very well?’
‘I don’t think I really knew her at all,’ Katherine decided.
He seemed perplexed by her admission.
‘Yet you helped to get Sandy away from London. Perhaps you felt that you owed Coralie some kind of debt?’
‘I made a promise,’ she said, ‘on the strength of an old infatuation—a schoolgirl crush, if you like—and I’m still not sure what I should have done.’
‘You feel that you should keep your promises once they’re given?’
‘Something like that,’ she confessed. ‘I feel that Coralie ought to know where Sandy is.’
‘Have you been in touch with her since you left London?’ he asked.
‘No,’ said Katherine. ‘I phoned her flat several times and didn’t get a reply.’
‘Was she living alone?’ He seemed impelled to ask the question.
‘No. There were two other girls—photographic models, I think. One of them owned the flat and charged the others rent, but they were often away on assignments abroad, I gathered.’
‘Do you think that Coralie may have moved out?’ he asked. ‘She was a restless person and there could be another man.’
The thought hurt; she could see that, realising that he had not quite got over his first love. It was still Coralie as far as he was concerned, although he knew that their marriage was over.
‘I don’t think there is,’
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